Every Rose
by Lizzie Borden
Summary: Includes some L&O:SVU characters as well. When the daughter of a detective moves to get a job, will her new life be the same as the old one she left behind or will she find something more? Ch. 3 introduces CSI characters!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! This is my first attempt at a non-wrestling related fic, so please keep that in mind while reading… This fic is a mix of my two favorite shows on television right now, CSI and Law and Order: SVU… I know, I probably shouldn't mix the two, but it's mainly CSI based, with one of my favorite characters from SVU thrown into the mix because I wanted to. I hope you all enjoy this attempt and please remember to be kind and rewind… Wait, I mean read and review, not rewind.

Enjoy- Lizzie Borden.

Disclaimer: If you recognize a character, I do not own them. They are all property of their respective companies and no harm was meant in the writing of this story!

Briana watched her father's face as she walked into the kitchen. She was finally a senior in college, school was close to an end, and despite the fact that he would no longer have to pay $40,000.00 per year for her to go to school on top of paying for her younger siblings, Briana knew that her father was having a hard time accepting that his oldest baby girl was growing up. His eyes filled with tears as she went to the counter to get some cereal before joining him at the table.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Briana asked over her cereal.

"Just yesterday I was teaching you to ride your bike and you were no taller than my hip," Elliot Stabler sighed to his daughter, looking down to try to hide the water pooling in his eyes. "Now you're going on a job interview to get a job to teach other people's children, it's hard." He forced a smile as he grabbed for his coffee mug.

"Daddy, please don't cry, you know I'll always be your little girl and that I love you and nothing will ever change that." Briana got up and crouched next to her father, hugging him tightly, feeling herself choke up. "I wish jobs were available close, but they aren't. I can't live here forever, both of us know that, and I need to get a job so that I can eat and take care of myself." She tried to stay calm, her interview was coming up quickly and she couldn't afford to have mascara running down her cheeks. Briana was a daddy's girl 100 percent, and was much closer to her father than her siblings.

Elliot held his daughter tight. She had been his first child, and was his pride and joy. She was a caring girl, who was active in many organizations to help others as well as being a cheerleader in high school. She had gotten an academic scholarship to college, almost a free ride, and taken it to study history and education so she could teach in a high school. Unfortunately, as soon as her major was chosen, Elliot realized that he would have to say goodbye to his pride and joy because adequate paying teaching jobs in the area were few and far between. He had started preparing himself for the day she would start interviewing to move south or west, but still was nowhere near ready to say that she could move and he'd be okay.

Briana stood up, a sad smile on her face as she smoothed her knee-length blue pencil skirt and fixed her matching jacket. Elliot remembered when they had gotten her that suit for her honor society induction in high school. They had offered her a new suit to interview in, but Briana, being the good big sister that she was had chosen to leave the family's money for her younger siblings who would be having high school dances and would want dresses or suits for those. He smiled inwardly as he imagined his blonde haired blue eyed baby girl, at a year old standing in the spot that she was standing in as a grown up. Briana watched her father closely as he watched her.

Elliot laughed, looking up to her eyes. "Sorry, I was just thinking how funny it was that when you were little you were blonde haired and blue eyed. Now look at you, brunette with green eyes… Who would have ever thought?" Elliot smiled, he felt okay about her growing up all of a sudden, it scared him, but relieved him at the same time.

Briana shared her father's smile. "I look better brunette with green eyes, Dad. I'm just glad my genes agreed with me." They shared a quick laugh before both checked the clock. "I better get a move on for my interview, don't want to be late, especially if they are going to give me a lot of money to move out and teach!"

Elliot stood and gave his daughter a hug, "Call me after your interview and tell me how it went, okay honey? I know you'll do fine. Just show them what an amazing girl you are and they'll love you. Just remember dear old dad when you get this job and send me a couple of plane tickets for a few vacations, okay?"

Both laughed as they left the house and walked toward their respective cars. "Okay, Dad. Should I send a few for Fin and Munch too? Maybe Olivia?"

Elliot smiled back, "Nope. Just me. I need to get away from those loonies every once and a while, you know!"

With that both climbed into their cars to head out. One to a continuation of the life he had started years ago, and the other to a new beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: If you recognize a character, I do not own them. They are all property of their respective companies and no harm was meant in the writing of this story!

Briana looked at her interviewer as the man looked over her professional portfolio, nodding at some of the pages and reports. When he got to the last section, he looked up with a confused smile on his face.

"Miss Stabler, can you please explain your rationale for including pictures of you and children with little explanations and quotes in this section of your portfolio as if it were a scrapbook?" The man asked.

"Well, sir, I'm a very involved person, and I created some pages of a scrapbook for myself of my student teaching experience, but most of the pages I have included in the portfolio are of me with the students at various after school activities… I hoped that it would show my enthusiasm to share with the students in more pursuits than the purely academic." Briana was nervous, she couldn't hide it as she looked at her portfolio, studying the upside-down pictures as the man looked and smiled.

"Very good, if you don't mind, I am going to take this to the evaluation room and I ask that you remain in the room while I'm gone, please, Miss Stabler." Briana nodded and looked at her hands, folded ladylike in her lap as the man left the room. It took forever for the second hand of the clock in the room to make a full revolution under her glare. She sighed and continued to stare at her French manicure, studying her nails, her "promise ring," and her palms for what seemed like forever before the door opened and the man from before re-entered followed by another man who looked more important than the first.

"Miss Stabler, this is the superintendent for the school district of Las Vegas. He would like to talk to you about a job offer." The first man said, smiling as he set her portfolio down on the table in front of her.

An hour later, Briana was exiting the building as the newest high school history teacher to be hired for Las Vegas. She pulled out her cell phone and called her father, nervous for his reaction.

"Stabler," he growled as he looked at his partner Olivia. He always got a call in the middle of discussing a case. Usually it was something stupid, someone forgot lunch money, the car needed its oil changed, someone needed money, and he was sick of it.

"Daddy, I got the job!" Briana practically squealed into the telephone as she opened the door to her car and sat down in the driver's seat. "They gave me more than we had expected or talked about along with a signing bonus and the free assistance of a realtor so I can get a house or an apartment in a nice area!"

Elliot went white. He could feel it in his cheeks and see it in his partner's face. He stumbled to his desk chair and forced a smile as if his daughter could see him. He had known deep inside that she would get the job, she was too talented and amazing not to get the job, but he had secretly hoped that their offer would not be good enough. A few nights before he had sat his oldest down and they had talked about what sorts of salaries were acceptable and what her minimum "asking price" would be should there be an offer on the table so that she could sign immediately should they give her a good offer. Now he regretted preparing her so well.

"That's great, honey. I'm proud of you," he forced out as he stared at the picture of his family in a frame. All six of them were smiling, Elliot in an armchair with his wife on one arm, Briana sitting next to one of his legs, leaning on his legs with her arms folded, his son Richard on the other side, mirroring his older sister's positioning, and the two youngest children, Joyce and Renee sitting on each of his legs. "I'm so proud of you," he choked out as his eyes began to water for the second time of the day.

Briana could her the sadness in her father's voice, it broke her heart. She didn't want to leave her home, New York would always be home, but she had to move to get a job that would pay her enough to barely live on. The offer from Vegas was more than she could have ever hoped for. It was a new start, warm weather every day, a new exciting place, and a job that could pay for groceries, rent, car payments, and her other necessities without her having to take two extra jobs to teach. "Daddy, if you want me to, I'll call and tell them that something came up and I can't go," she almost cried into the phone. If there was anything Briana hated it was upsetting her father.

"Don't you dare do that, Briana. Do you hear me?" The military man in Elliot came out as he practically barked orders at his daughter. "You will move to Vegas and use the good head that's on your shoulders and stay out of trouble and make a life for yourself. Just because you are moving doesn't mean that you are any less of a Stabler, and it doesn't mean that you are going to stop needing me, right?" He sighed, knowing she would only cancel her job for him, but not wanting that for his daughter. He only wanted her to be happy, even if her happiness broke his heart.

"I'll never stop needing you, Daddy, never." Briana wiped her eyes as she examined her steering wheel, listening to her father breathe on the other side of the line. "I'm going to go home now, so I'll see you when you get home? Sorry for interrupting, I'm sure you were talking about a case, Dad."

Elliot smiled to the phone, wishing his daughter knew how considerate she was and how lucky he felt to be her father. "You didn't interrupt anything, baby. I'll talk to you tonight, go home and relax, the hard part is over."

Briana started the car and backed out of her parking spot, feeling both sad and happy at the same time. She didn't want to leave her family, especially her father, especially to be almost entirely across the country from them, but she wanted to be her own person and feel the freedom that Vegas was promising. She could start over, not be the daddy's girl who wore her promise ring at 21 and didn't get drunk. She could be who she wanted to be and do what she wanted without having every movement watched by someone that her father knew and had warned to watch out for her.

"Every rose has its thorn," she sighed as she quoted the Poison song before pulling onto the main road to begin the trek home.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own what you recognize, all borrowed characters are owned by their respective companies. No harm was meant…

A/N: So here we go, sorry it took me so long to get CSI into this one… I hope you enjoy and remember to review and tell me if I should continue!

Briana had finally set foot in the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Her flight had been so late in take off because of bad weather that she had already missed her flight to Vegas. It was another two hours until she would even need to be at the gate for the beginning of boarding, and all Briana wanted to do was get to her new home. The apartment had been picked out for her, and was fully furnished, all she had to do was get there.

She decided to look into a few of the stores to waste time, and eventually returned to the gate to eat one of the pop tarts that she had packed for her trip. She found an empty seat in the crowded boarding area and grabbed out her pop tart and a magazine. She heard some people directly in front of her talking about finding empty seats together so they could continue chatting.

A voice that sounded gravelly to Briana was now closer, she continued to read about sexy hair when the voice, and the man it belonged to, stood directly in front of her. "Excuse me, Miss, are these seats taken, do you know?" He asked. She put the magazine down, looking at the group of four people, three men and one woman. The man who was addressing her had dark skin and hair, and was smiling at her as the other two men, shorter, one with spikey hair and the other with a buzz cut and slightly more stocky build watched her. The woman was had longer blonde hair. She crossed her arms and shook her head at the smaller of the two men who weren't talking to Briana.

"Oh, no. I just got here, but I'm pretty sure they're open," Briana was quick to get out, smiling uncomfortably as she lifted her magazine. Despite the fact that she was well-liked, she was reluctant when meeting new people. Her father's job as a detective based in a sex crimes unit never helped her become more outgoing.

The smallest of the three men smiled, wiggling his eyebrows at the woman of the group as he jumped ahead of the brunette man who had stayed behind to get the seat next to Briana. She was watching all four out of the corner of her eyes.

"Woah there, Greg!" the brunette laughed with his Texas accent. Briana thought to herself about accents until she realized that the smaller, blonder man was looking to grab her attention, with his three companions watching them.

"You on your way to Las Vegas?" he asked quietly, leaning his head forward to be completely in Briana's field of vision.

"Yes, I am…" She said softly, turning her head and again laying her magazine in her lap. The rest of the group leaned closer, seemingly interested in her for some unknown reason.

"Well, what brings a pretty lady like yourself to Vegas alone?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow as he seemed to attempt to flirt, in Briana's opinion.

"The shopping? Shows? Gambling?" The woman smiled as she leaned over the dark skinned man to better join the conversation from the end of the group.

Briana smiled as she leaned forward to better address the woman. "I actually just got a job there, so I'm in the process of moving, I guess you could say…" She felt at ease as she watched the group interact with one another and smile and laugh.

"Well in that case, I'm Greg. If I may ask, are you actually going to be close to Vegas or is it the closest airport and you don't happen to analyze DNA, do you?" Greg smiled as the rest of the group laughed.

"Well, hi Greg, I'm Briana." She smiled at him, extending her hand and shaking his lightly. "I'm going to be very close to the city for my work. And no, analyzing DNA is not my forte."

"How rude of us to start talking to you and not even introduce ourselves!" The woman practically yelled. "I'm Catherine, you've met Greg, sitting next to Greg is Nick, and this handsome gentleman next to me is Warrick. We work at the Las Vegas Crime Lab, and Greg is hoping to get a replacement for DNA work so that he can get into the field more often…" The warm smile that Catherine shared with Briana was contagious. Briana waved to the group.

"Well, I haven't changed my identity between my first introduction and now, so I'm Briana." The group shared a quick laugh before settling back into their chairs a little, starting up their own conversations. Briana became engrossed in her magazine once again before a voice interrupted her reading.

"Strawberry pop tarts are much better than the brown sugar ones… And that hairstyle definitely is not on my list of sexy," the Texas accent said to Briana from next to her seat on the edge of an aisle. She looked up and into the eyes of the brunette man who had been identified as Nick.

"I beg to differ on the pop tart issue, but definitely not the hair," she laughed softly as both looked back to the magazine.

"Sorry to interrupt, I was just going to grab everyone some bottles of water before the rush for them begins when they announce the flight. I wanted to see if you wanted me to grab you one…" Nick smiled, hands in his pockets as he let himself rock from the balls of his feet to his heels and back again, bouncing a little as he did so.

"Oh, sure, I'd appreciate it," Briana smiled as she bent down to gain access to her purse to grab some money. She heard a slight groan.

"No, no, no. No need to give me a dollar for a bottle of water. I offered to get it, so don't worry about it…" Nick shook his head, pulling a hand out and motioning for Briana to stop going for her money.

"Really, I can't let you pay for my water, we met less than ten minutes ago!" Briana laughed and continued digging.

"Just consider it a welcome to Vegas gift from your friendly neighborhood CSI's. Okay?" Nick smiled again before turning, not waiting for a reply and disappearing into the crowd.

Briana turned to look at her three remaining newfound companions. "Before you ask, yes, he is always like this and no he won't take anything in return, so you'll save yourself a lot of frustration if you just let him buy you the water," the dark skinned man named Warrick said, a large smile on his face as he read Briana's mind.

"If you say so," Briana smiled, leaning back into her chair as she broke another piece off of her pop tart and placed it into her mouth.

"You know, I completely disagree with him on the pop tarts. Brown sugar is really good, perhaps better than strawberry," Greg shared, leaning toward Briana.

"Thank you, Greg." Briana laughed as she reached into her bag and grabbed out the pop tart box. "Anyone want one?" All three smiled and held out their hands for the remaining packages, thanking Briana as she spotted Nick returning, a plastic bag looped around one wrist as he dodged through the crowd.

"Water for all and a box of the good pop tarts for our poor misguided…" He stopped abruptly when he noticed his companions all eating brown sugar pop tarts. "Oh man… You guys have no taste," Nick laughed as he threw up his arms and returned to his seat. "Strawberry really is the best pop tart around."

Catherine smiled at Nick, looking at Warrick before replying, "Well, she had these and was willing to share immediately, Nicky…"

The group continued to chat as they waited for their flight to be called.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Same as previous.

A/N: I am sorry that the CSI characters only showed up in Chapter 3… Thank you for reading this far. Don't be afraid to leave feedback! I'd love to know what you think… On to the next chapter…

"Flight 430 to Las Vegas will begin boarding business class at this time," the voice announced over the airport sound system.

"You in business class?" Greg asked, trying to make conversation.

Briana shook her head. "There is no way I could afford business class!" She giggled.

"You never did tell us what you got hired to do in Vegas, Briana," Warrick smiled at her, beginning to shuffle the bags at his feet for when his row was going to be called.

"I'm going to be teaching high school history and social studies," she smiled and nodded. The group returned her smile.

"You should have stopped to see the Alamo then," Nick said. Briana couldn't get over how cute she thought his accent was.

"Are you from Texas originally?" she asked, mentally kicking herself for asking and being too friendly.

"Yeah, I am. Is it that obvious?" Nick's grin spread into the full-blown smile that so many women swooned over. Briana was no different… She almost caught herself smiling dreamily at him before her mind went back to thinking.

"Just when you mentioned the Alamo. Most Texans do things like that from what I'm told." She smiled at him as he shrugged in her direction.

"We can't help our pride." Nick continued to smile at her, over Greg's obviously disapproving glare. He was attracted to this new girl, and a part of him wanted to get to know her, despite the fact that all he knew was that she was moving to Vegas and going to be a teacher. He was drawn to this new girl, and couldn't explain why. It wasn't the usual purely sexual attraction that he felt with a lot of girls, although that definitely played a part in it… As he sat thinking, he had a thought. "So you're from New York, I take it?" He asked.

Briana looked shocked as she glanced back to him, wide-eyed. "How did you know?"

"You've got a bit of an accent too," he half laughed at her, moving his own bags as Warrick had moments earlier. "And I noticed the carry-on tag. I'm in law enforcement, kind of. I notice the little things." Nick let his smile remain as she let herself grin.

"Flight 430 to Las Vegas will now begin boarding coach passengers rows Z through O" the voice stated over the loudspeaker.

"I had forgotten that people in law enforcement noticed every tiny detail," she giggled, thinking about her father calling her out any time that she moved the car and forgot to make sure that the tires were in the same position. 'That was always what got me when I snuck out,' she thought.

Nick, Warrick, and Greg stood up as the voice over the speaker announced the rows again. "That's us, see you on the other side, ladies," Greg smiled as he gathered his things and followed Nick and Warrick to the line. "She is **hot**!" Greg gasped when they got out of earshot of the two women.

Nick turned to look at Greg, raising his hand as if he planned on smacking Greg. "That's really not appropriate, Greg, and you know it." The Texan was trying to hide his jealous feelings by blaming his southern gentleman character.

Warrick smiled, knowingly at his friend, nodding. "Yeah, I'm sure that's why you're so angry about it, right Nicky?" He laughed softly as Nick's eyes went wide as he obviously stumbled for some sort of excuse. "Hey, man. We know you're a ladies man and territorial, its okay, man." Warrick smiled as Nick simply picked his bag and ignored his two laughing companions.

Catherine moved closer to Briana and struck up a light conversation as they waited for the next set of seats to be called. "So, you've got at least two of my guys worked up, so I'll ask for them, have a significant other?" She smiled encouragingly to before laughing at Briana's shocked expression. "You didn't notice Nick and Greg giving you the eye?"

"What? No. They were just being nice." Briana blushed a shade of bright red 'damn Irish heritage' she thought to herself. "And no, I don't have a boyfriend or fiancé or husband if that's what you're asking me."

Catherine smiled at the younger woman. "I'm sorry if I offended you by pointing out that they both seem really interested in you… I was just pointing out what I thought I saw. And I'm sorry if you think I was hinting at you being anything other than straight. It's just that you never know anymore who prefers which gender." She shrugged apologetically as Briana looked up from her hands.

"No, you didn't offend me. I just, I don't know. I'm sorry I got upset. I'm not the girl that guys like at first glance, so I guess you caught me off guard when you said you thought that they were interested in me." Briana shrugged and stuffed her magazine with her new box of pop tarts and bottle of water into her carry on.

"Flight 430 to Las Vegas will now be boarding coach passengers with tickets for rows P through G." The voice stated. Catherine stood up, as did Briana.

"Where is your seat?" Catherine asked as they wandered to the line.

"Row P, yours?" Brian asked, looking at her ticket.

"I'm up in L for some reason. We tried to get one row for the four of us, but there were only three seats at a time, I guess." Catherine shrugged before handing her ticket to the man at the entrance to the tunnel to get on the plane.

"Well, have a good flight, Catherine," Briana said as Catherine began to walk to the plane and she handed her ticket to the man to be checked-in to the flight.

"You too Briana, we'll see you in the Las Vegas airport," Catherine yelled over her shoulder, going to her seat quietly.

Briana began the walk to the plane, not paying too much attention to who was sitting around her. She began to struggle to get her carry-on into the overhead compartment. 'I hate being short' she inwardly groaned as she tried to stand on her toes and shove the bag into the compartment. She sighed loudly as she continued to try to shove the bag.

She had almost given up on getting the bag into the compartment when she felt a body push up against her back. Two well toned arms moved around her to stuff the bag into the compartment and the body backed away from her. She turned to find Nick standing behind her, shrugging.

"You were having trouble. Sorry to have invaded your space." Nick smiled before squeezing between her and the seat to go and help Catherine with her bag. Briana was surprised, and could barely straighten her thoughts. She could almost still feel him pushed up against her, and even though it was completely innocent, he had only wanted to help her, she couldn't help some of the thoughts that were running through her mind.

She moved to her seat next to the window in a daze, too caught up in her own thoughts about Nick to notice much of anything.

A/N: I hope you're enjoying so far. Like I've said tons of times, all reviews are appreciated, I want to know how you guys think I'm doing! Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I got reviews. Yes! Thank you for reading and I hope more of you will review if you are enjoying the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. No harm was meant by this story…

"Pain, without love, Pain, I can't get enough, Pain, I like it rough, cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all." Briana sang softly to herself as she looked at her magazine. She knew her father would have freaked had he heard her singing her favorite Three Days Grace song. Thinking about her father and his temper, she smiled to herself and slowly drifted off to a light sleep.

Thump thump thump thump thump came from her seat. Briana started to wake up, groggily looking around to figure out why her seat was vibrating and making noises. She decided the child behind her was going to get a stern talking to, as was the child's parent for not stopping the little brat from kicking her seat.

Briana turned around in her seat in one rapid motion, in an attempt to scare the kid into cooperation. She opened her mouth to start yelling at the two behind her.

"May I help you?" Nick smiled, his Texas accent thick because of the time he spent in the airport hearing it.

Briana stared at Greg, who was sitting behind her with a broad smile on his face, hands folded in his lap, feet swinging, although not enough to continue kicking the seat. She closed her mouth and shook her head before turning slowly around to sit back into her seat.

Now suspicious of the two behind her, Briana listened carefully to them while pretending to listen to her mp3 player and read her magazine. There was some soft giggling, with Warrick's voice added to the mix before the thumping began again. After two minutes of the thumping, Briana turned around and glared at all three of the men, who all wore their angelic smiles broadly as they looked innocently at her.

"Stop it. You are disturbing everyone, and I will not hesitate to get your bosswoman back here, little ones." She jokingly shook her finger at the men and turned back around. The kicking started again, slowly. She let Greg kick her seat four times before taking a controlled breath and whispering loudly to a few rows ahead of her, "Hey Catherine."

The kicking stopped as quickly as it had started as Catherine turned around in her seat. The men quickly pointed fingers at each other, in effect making sure that all three were blamed for the hijinx.

"Now boys. Behave." Catherine commanded from her seat before turning back around to her book.

The group touched down in Las Vegas less than an hour later. Nick resumed his gentlemanly ways and assisted Briana with her luggage in the overhead compartment. The newly formed group slowly made their way to the baggage claim. Briana wasn't sure how she had been absorbed by this group of traveling CSIs, but she didn't mind in the least. Watching Warrick tease Nick about something, as well as watching Greg's immature attempts to gain her attention as Catherine acted as the mother was rather amusing. It reminded Briana of home with her parents and siblings.

"You've got a ride, right?" Warrick asked, effectively ending her thought process.

"Oh, yeah, the school district has a car coming for me… Thanks," she said quietly as she waited for more of her luggage.

"You've got more?" Nick almost yelled, looking at her two carry-ons in surprise.

"I am moving out here for the first time, you know…" Briana smiled as she hustled to the conveyor to wrestle with one of her giant bags that had come down. After a few seconds of struggling, she once again felt his presence as Nick stood beside her and hoisted the bag up and over the railing, placing it on the ground so that Briana could roll it out.

"Any other bags?" he asked quietly, reluctant, it seemed, to leave the airport. Truth be told, he was exhausted. Meeting this new Las Vegas teacher hadn't helped him sleep on the plane any, with Greg wanting to get and keep her attention and his own thoughts, it was more than enough to keep him awake for days trying to sort through everything. The other side of the truth be told, he didn't want to leave. He felt drawn to Briana and wanted to at least find out more about her, and he felt like his chance was slipping through his fingertips, but he was just letting it. He, the great "ladies man" of the lab was letting this girl drive him mad and was doing nothing about it.

"No, thank you though, Nick. I really appreciate all of your help," she said softly as she placed a comparatively small hand on his, which was resting on her suitcase. "The rest we shipped." She smiled up at him as she took the handle of the bag and began wheeling it to the group. "Well, I see my driver, so I better get a move on before he leaves me here to beg off of you all a little bit more," she chuckled. "I just wanted to say that it was a pleasure to meet you all and I do hope that I see you all very soon, just not coming to my house or seeing me as a victim or, wow, I really made that awkward," her chuckle became a full-blown laugh as the rest of the group joined in.

"See you!" "Good luck!" "Find us, we're around every corner it seems!" and various other partings were yelled at the young teacher as she took large strides to the driver who was holding up a piece of paper with her last name written on it.

"Stabler," Greg read aloud, both he and Nick making a mental note of the name for future reference. "Briana Stabler."

A/N: Sorry about the lag in posting this! I do warn that my break ends on Monday, so the updates may be a little longer between. Reviews, I'm sure, would help get the new chapters up more quickly though, so please read and review but most of all enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for the new reviews! Catherine- Thanks for asking about the cath/rick situation… The story is taking place before "Grave Danger" meaning he's not married, and I tried to keep with the series' ambiguity on their relationship… I hope I'm not doing a bad job! Please keep reviewing, let me know if something is bad, by all means!

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters, they are the property of the respective companies/producers/writers, etc…

Nick arrived back to his apartment an hour after the flight touched down. Warrick had dropped him off on his way home, and all Nick wanted to do was to take a nap. The group was expected to go to work that night, Ecklie had made that crystal clear, despite the fact that the group was at a convention that had many different presentations about the best ways to collect evidence, avoiding disaster, and the like all weekend, and it would be difficult for them to get readjusted to their shift so quickly.

Catherine sat in the front seat of Warrick's lab-issued Denali, having moved up from the back when Nick got out of the truck. "So, do you have any plans until shift?" she asked uncomfortably, trying to make conversation.

"Naw, I'm going to try to catch some shut eye, those two kept me up the entire flight talking about that girl." Warrick smiled over at Catherine at a red light. "I don't know what got them so worked up, she seemed really shy to me." He shrugged at Catherine's smile.

"Wouldn't you be scared if you met all four of us at one time, in an airport, and Greg and Nicky practically started falling all over you?" Catherine asked, looking out the window, ready to get home and get a few hours of sleep herself before the shift began.

"Yeah, I would be, but mostly because I'm a guy," Warrick laughed as he turned onto Catherine's street. She shook her head as he turned into her driveway. "Here we are, m'lady, I will be seeing you tonight at work. Say hi to Lindsay for me!"

"Will do, Rick. See you at the start of shift!" Catherine yelled after securing her bag from the back of the Denali, waving as Warrick backed out of the drive and finally headed for his own home. He yawned as he drove, watching the people at various stop lights. Upon arrival at his apartment complex, he sighed a sigh of relief and left his bags in the car. They could wait. Right now, all he needed was sleep.

He took the stairs, as the old elevator took forever to arrive, taking two steps at a time. He noticed the building manager giving a quick tour of his floor, and paid no mind as he waved and entered the apartment, passing out on the couch almost immediately after locking the door.

Briana followed her building manager around the quiet looking complex. According to the school district, it was one of the safest buildings in the area, and was generous with the rent to transplants to the city. She thought she saw Warrick, the man who had acted the most age appropriate from the airport, but the man who was her new neighbor had not acted as if he had recognized her, so she decided she must have been mistaken. The tour ended, and she gladly went into her furnished unit and climbed onto the couch, taking the phone in her hand and making the call she knew needed to be made at that moment.

The phone rang for a few moments. "Stabler," the other end growled at her.

"Make sure to call me as soon as you are somewhat settled," she mocked into the phone, laughing to make sure her father realized she was joking.

"Sweetheart! I didn't think it would be you so soon! How is Vegas so far? You didn't talk to any strangers, did you?" Elliot felt the father in him come out, and despite his daughter's legal adult status and her age, he still felt overprotective, even though there was more than half of the country between the two.

"Well, some strangers talked to me, but they were CSI's from the department here, so I figured they weren't too dangerous. Other than that, it's okay, I'm so nervous to be here, Dad. I don't know anyone but the four people I met at the airport, and I didn't get any contact information, so I am starting over 100." Briana felt the tears come to her eyes as she finally confided in her father what she had been dreading for the weeks between her being hired and the big move. She hadn't lied to herself, she knew she would be starting over, but it wasn't until that moment that it seemed like such a big deal.

Elliot's heart broke as he heard his daughter break down. She wasn't crying, but her voice softened and became the voice that made him want to kill for his daughter. "Honey, if you don't like it, you can come home, no questions asked. We only want you to be happy. You can't spend your life worrying about everyone else and what they think. Try it out, give it a chance, and if it's not any better after the initial shock has worn off, I will come and get you myself." He looked around the room, his team looking at him, specifically Olivia, who was practically his daughter's godmother.

"Something up with Briana, El?" Olivia asked after a few more minutes, once Elliot hung up his phone.

"She's nervous and afraid she won't make friends and all of that," Elliot sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"I don't blame her," Olivia said, rubbing Elliot's shoulder as she stood beside his chair. "She's seen the worst of human nature through your job, El, it's hard to make friends when you know statistics and how horrible people can be and how savage." Olivia shrugged. "If you have to get her, I'll go with you." She sat back at her desk, facing her partner. "Once she settles down and gets into a routine you won't be able to bring her back for anything, I think."

That was the last thing Elliot really wanted to hear. He wanted his baby girl to need him forever. She was his best friend and he was hers. The distance was already killing him… He sighed, again rubbing his eyes. 'This needs to get easier, quickly,' he thought to himself as he looked around, trying to keep his eyes free from tears.

Hours later, Warrick was checking himself in the mirror before leaving to start his shift at work. He opened the door and sped down the stairs. He opened the doors and almost knocked over a woman who was much shorter than he was. He grabbed her by the arms, steadying her before continuing his rush to the car. He had gotten up late and knew that Ecklie would have something to say if he was late and the rest of the team was there on time.

Briana watched Warrick run away after he had steadied her, since he had almost knocked her over. 'I guess they aren't going to be as hard to find as I originally thought,' she said to herself before continuing into her building to try to make her apartment feel more like home by unpacking.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: So I think I like this story too much to not update frequently… I hope that you guys are enjoying it and if you like it you will review. Please? Thanks.

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters.

"Hey man, nice of you to show up," Nick laughed as Warrick entered the room.

"Yeah, yeah, you're so funny. I had to take all of you home and then go home myself. I'd be a little nicer if I was you, Nicky," Warrick laughed back, messing up Nick's hair as he walked past to sit down.

"I for one appreciated not having to drive, thank you, Rick!" Catherine smiled as Warrick sat next to her at the table. Sarah entered the room with Gil hot on her heels.

"So what did you learn at the convention?" Sarah asked enthusiastically as she sat down on the break room's couch.

"Yes, any interesting presentations?" Gil asked, sitting down next to Sarah.

"Nothing on bugs, you wouldn't have been impressed," Greg replied, a cheeky smile on his face. The group laughed as Ecklie entered the room.

"Nice of you all to show up on time for once," he stated before leaving the room, missing the eye rolls that followed him from the team.

"There are a few cases, decide who's taking what," Ecklie said, stacking a pile of folders on the table in the break room in the middle.

"Well, Grissom and I will take on, Warrick and Catherine can take one, and Greg and Nicky can take one," Sarah stated as she began looking through the three folders.

"Why do I have to go with Greg?" Nick asked, laughing as he teased his partner for the day.

"No, my friend. The question should be why do I have to go with you?" Greg asked.

"I don't know, maybe we should split them up, don't want them to fight over that girl too much," Warrick laughed.

Nick and Greg blushed, Nick more so than Greg, however. Catherine smiled and leaned over the table, grabbing one of each man's cheeks and pinching, like a grandmother would do. "No fighting, you two!" She laughed as she grabbed a folder and nodded for Warrick to follow her out of the room. Sarah and Gil took another folder, leaving Nick and Greg in the break room with the last folder.

"Well, let's get this over with," Nick sighed.

"We aren't fighting over any girl, man. Don't let them get to you," Greg said, a mischievous smile on his lips.

Nick looked at him, rolling his eyes. "Let me guess, 'because I already got her' was going to be your next line?" Nick asked, as Greg's smile subsided.

"I like working with Sarah better. She doesn't insult me like you do," Greg sighed, opening the folder.

"I didn't insult you, I just knew what you were going to say to me," Nick laughed.

"This one took place outside of Rick's place," Greg stated as he rose from his chair. "Let's get there and get the interviews as soon as we can." Nick nodded in response and followed Greg out of the break room.

Nick climbed into the driver seat of his Denali, Greg climbing into the passenger seat. "He said that this was the safest apartment building in the entire city. How does someone get attacked outside of the safest apartment building in the area?" Nick asked as he turned onto the road of the apartment building. It was a familiar route, he was just wishing that Warrick would have been his partner, or at least there.

His wish was granted, however, as he pulled up to the scene.

"Whose Denali is that?" Greg asked, looking at the CSI issued Denali that was parked further down the block.

"Looks like the truck Rick drives," Nick said as he put his truck in park. Catherine and Warrick walked over to the passenger side of the Denali, making faces at Nick and Greg. Nick exited his side of the truck and laughed at the two. "What are you two doing here? This is our scene!"

Warrick pointed down the block. "That's our scene. We just thought we'd be neighborly and say hi before we started processing. When you are ready for interviews, let us know. We're pretty sure all of the buildings should be interviewed for both scenes, so we can kill two birds with one stone." Warrick turned and waved, walking back to his scene as he put on his rubber gloves to begin processing.

"Must be nice to be the boss," Greg laughed at Catherine as she remained behind for a few minutes.

"Yeah, well, it's definitely not bad." Catherine laughed before turning around, "That is until someone insults you by telling you that you aren't doing your job!" She sauntered toward her scene. Greg and Nick grabbed their kits and began to processing their scene. Almost two hours later, Warrick and Catherine joined Nick and Greg. The four grabbed their notebooks, locked their trucks (and put the alarms on) and went into the first building.

Lots of dead ends later, they arrived at the last building, the one that Warrick lived in. He walked in and didn't hesitate to knock on the first door that he happened upon. The woman opened the door, smiling at Warrick and looked puzzled at the other CSIs at her door. After questioning her, Warrick moved to the next door, knocking and again getting full and immediate cooperation from the tenant. He finally reached the last door in the building other than his own and knocked.

Briana heard the knocking on her new neighbors' doors and hoped that it was rent collection or anything that wouldn't involve her. She was too tired to get up. The knocking finally stopped at her door, when she heard a banging. Once, and then another set of knocking on the door. She decided that they wouldn't stop until she gave in and opened the door, so she slowly got up, adjusting her Victoria's Secret tank top and short shorts before walking to the front door.

Warrick was about to knock again, he knew he had seen someone move in that day. "Maybe it's still vacant, Rick. Remember, you wanted me to rent that one," Nick smiled at his friend.

The door opened, and much to her surprise, Briana was looking into the faces of the CSIs she had met earlier.

"You live here?" Greg asked, surprised.

"Well, now I do," Briana yawned, leaning on the door frame. "What can I do for you guys?" She asked.

"Well, did you hear anything in the last couple of hours?" Warrick asked.

"Do you guys want to come in to ask me these questions?" Briana moved out of the way. "I really don't know if I can remain standing much longer," she laughed.

"You don't mind?" Catherine asked, yawning.

"No, come in. It's messy, but you guys can sit down and take a load off and I'll answer whatever I can." Briana followed the group in, waiting for them to sit on the couches in the living room area. "Coffee? Water? Anything?"

The group all declined. "Because we are investigating an incident outside of your building," Nick started.

"You aren't allowed to take anything from me that could be construed as a bribe. Sorry, I should have known better." Briana nodded as she finished Nick's sentence and sat down on the floor.

"Why should you have known better?" Nick asked, shaking his head. "Not at all, I was just explaining why we were being slightly rude."

"My father is a detective back in New York," Briana said with a smile, handing Nick a family picture from the coffee table. "I know you probably didn't want to see that, but…." Briana blushed as she reached to grab the photo back, realizing that they were there about a crime, not to hear about her or her family.

Nick smiled at her, keeping the picture from her reach, showing Catherine and Warrick and Greg. "No, not at all. It's nice. I have a big family too… I miss them a lot; they're still back in Texas."

After the interview, the groups left the building.

"Well, I don't think there are any suspects in the building," Warrick concluded, "for either of the crimes."

"So, what's with the whole sharing the family history stuff, Nick?" Greg asked as they walked toward the street to make their way to the crime scenes.

Nick knew that his three companions were all ears. He wasn't ready to say that the girl had a hold on him that he couldn't explain. It was hard enough for him to even think that he was interested in her. She hadn't shown him the least bit of interest, and here he was, making a huge deal out of her, as if he had a chance with her, despite only having just met her.

"I know what it's like to move to an area where you have no one. I guess I sympathize with her," he said shrugging as he picked up his pace to his truck.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Wow, I didn't realize how much school and a messed up internet connection can mess with a story! I'm so sorry that this has taken so long for me to put up, and I hope that you all are still interested and liking this story…

As always read and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that you recognize! I'm not making any money off of borrowing these characters, no harm was meant in the writing of this story.

Greg swung into the Denali that Nick was sitting in. "Good excuse, Nick. I know what it's like to move to a place that you know no one too, but I'm not using that as an excuse to want to get to know a hot girl." Greg stated.

Nick glared at the younger man, squeezing the steering wheel of his truck, knuckles turning white. "I thought I already told you not to say stuff like that," he growled.

Greg put his hands up, "You're acting like she's one of the hookers you date," Greg stated softly, shaking his head.

"Man, you are lucky that I can't just leave you here," Nick grumbled as he began driving back to the station. "So lucky."

Greg put his hands down in his lap. "I'm just pointing out the truth, man." He shook his head as he gave up the fight.

Nick rolled his eyes and backed out of the parking spot he was in, ignoring Greg's statements and driving back to the station as slowly as his anger would let him.

Warrick and Catherine, in the Denali behind Nick and Greg watched the car ahead of them.

"Man, they're getting into it up there," Warrick shook his head, looking at Catherine. "This girl is really getting to them. Probably wasn't the best idea to put those two together right after they meet a new girl that both of them want." Warrick chuckled to himself as he continued to shake his head.

"The best part is she thinks they're both just being nice," Catherine smiled over at Warrick's surprised expression. "I know, right? They're falling all over themselves and she thinks they're being nice." Catherine smiled. "I wonder if she's not younger than she seems," she laughed.

"Why do you think she'd be younger than she seems? I mean, my estimate on her age is around twenty-two." Warrick slowed to a stop behind Nick's Denali at a red light.

"I would say she's probably around twenty-two as well, Rick, but here's the thing. What twenty-two year old woman doesn't pick up on two men blatantly chasing after her? When I was sixteen I knew when men were after me, and used it to my advantage." Warrick looked surprised as Catherine smiled back at him. "You don't know my entire life story, Rick."

"See, what I'm thinking is sheltered girl. That's why she and Nicky are getting along so well," Warrick said softly as he slowly began moving the truck again after the light had turned green. "See, he's the all- American boy, she seems like an all-American girl, you know, sheltered, daughter of a cop. I don't feel like she's been allowed to experience too much of life, if you know what I mean. That explains how she's uncomfortable and oblivious when it comes to those two fools being after her."

"They aren't fools for liking her, Rick, she seems like a really nice girl." Catherine was surprised at the way Warrick was talking.

"I never said that they were fools for liking her. They're just plain fools," Warrick laughed as Catherine joined in and they followed the Denali in front of them back to the station parking lot.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters, no harm was meant, etc.

"What's so funny?" Nick half chuckled as he watched a laughing Warrick and Catherine walk toward him.

"Nothing, Nicky, nothing," Catherine laughed, passing Nick and Greg on her way into the large station building.

"Come on, man, what's so funny?" Nick asked Warrick as the two men stopped to unload Nick's Denali of the evidence they had collected.

"Other than your face?" Greg joked. Nick tensed slightly, but allowed himself to laugh.

"Or your hair, Greg-o." Nick smirked as he walked toward the front door of the building, a large plastic container filled with all of the bagged evidence in his arms.

"Ouch, man, ouch," Greg laughed as he closed the tailgate of the large truck.

The three men filed into the building to see what kind of work lay ahead of them to solve as much of the crime before the end of their shift as possible.

Briana woke up from a fitful sleep. She had never been so far from home, from her family, and the fact that her first night in her first apartment there had been not one, but two crimes in front of her building hadn't helped her sleep at all. She stared at the phone for what seemed like forever, debating calling her father. He would want her to come home more than ever, she was sure, when she explained that there were two crimes in one night in less than a block, but she needed some reassurance.

She picked up the phone, stared at it for a few more minutes, and had started dialing a familiar number when there was a knock on her door. She hung up the phone, once again straightened her pajamas, and looked through the peephole. For the second time in less than twelve hours, Warrick was at her door, waiting for her to open it.

She eased the door open, placing her face in the crack between the door and its frame, putting on the smile that she had always put on her face when something was wrong. Warrick returned the smile, nodding his head slightly at her.

"Hey, our team is going for breakfast at a local diner, and we thought you might want to come out with us, being new and not knowing anybody has to be hard." He placed a hand on the door frame and leaned in so that he could talk softly and not disturb any of the neighbors.

Briana was surprised, to say the least at this invitation. She barely hid the shock from her face. She heard herself ask, "Are you sure you guys want me to come along?" Warrick answered her question with a laugh.

"Of course we are! We wouldn't have offered if we didn't want you to come along. Look, I know it may seem like you're the only person who's ever moved to Vegas alone for a job, but pretty much all of us did the same thing, some not too long ago. We're just trying to be friendly. We know it can be hard, but we want to be your friends and make it a little easier." Warrick smiled as her face softened and she opened the door to her apartment a little more.

"Give me five minutes," she said as he turned to go back down to the two waiting trucks.

"Hey, man, what'd she say?" Nick asked from the driver seat of his truck, barely able to hide the fact that he was anxious.

"Five minutes, bro," Warrick laughed before climbing into the driver seat of his truck, looking back at Catherine and Greg. "He can't contain himself!" he laughed.

Greg pouted to the two people in the front seat. "Yeah, well, he should be excited; you're making her ride in his truck and keeping me and my charm away from her." Greg crossed his arms.

"Greg, hun," Catherine looked back at the younger man, a soft smile on her face. "Your day will come, I promise. Look, do you want to constantly wonder if she'd rather be with you or Nicky?" Greg looked deep in thought at Catherine's sudden question.

"I guess you're right. She's not particularly my type anyhow. I like a girl who's into whips, chains, handcuffs and lots of leather," Greg laughed as Catherine's smile turned into a shocked expression. "I don't think this one's got it in her." Greg laughed, as did the rest of the car.

"Well, you sure get over girls quickly, Greg," Warrick laughed.

"Well, it's not hard when they're definitely the type for one of your friends, man," Greg smiled.

"What do you mean?" Warrick asked. Greg nodded toward the walkway to the entrance of the apartment building. Warrick and Catherine both turned quickly to see what he was talking about.

Catherine began squirming in her seat when she realized Nick's truck was in the way of whatever the boys were looking at. "What is it? Come on, Rick, what is it?" She asked, trying to climb into a better position.

Warrick grabbed Catherine's arm and pulled her closer to him, giving her the position to see around the truck in front of them. Briana had her long hair pulled back in a high ponytail, very minimal make up on, a plain white tank top, and a pair of worn jeans made up her outfit, which she had paired with her bright pink flip flops. Nick was jogging toward her, as she smiled in his direction, waving somewhat nervously. He put an arm out, which she gladly accepted with a laugh, and led her to the passenger side of his truck, opening the door and introducing Briana to Sarah and Gil.

Warrick smiled to Catherine, who was getting back to her side of the truck. "She really is his type, isn't she?" Catherine laughed softly, watching Nick helping Briana slide into the passenger seat of his truck, laughing at something.

"Fate strikes, I suppose?" Warrick laughed, watching Nick shut the passenger door of his truck and run around to his window.

"Okay, the usual diner?" Nick asked, leaning into Warrick's window.

"Did you want to go somewhere else, Casanova?" Catherine laughed as Nick blushed.

"Well, not with any of you there," he laughed. "Just kidding, just kidding. Come on, I'm not Casanova-ing anyone, Cath." Nick backed away from the door a little, his face still rosy.

"Sure, sure." She laughed. "I think the usual would be good, I mean, it is where we normally go because we all can find something to enjoy." Nick nodded and smiled before jogging back to his truck and jumping in. "We need to ask Grissom what all was said in that truck when we can get him away from Nick and Sarah," Catherine laughed.

"If he says that he thinks they would be a good match, then you know it's meant to be, right?" Greg laughed. "I mean, asking Grissom about people's feelings is like asking Sarah to not get worked up when Gil is involved, or when he makes meat bullets and puts them near her food." The three in the vehicle shook their heads.

"She almost quit because of that," Catherine remembered.

"Well, you never know. Grissom often sees things that other people don't. Man, he may even tell us about their body language instead of other things, but he sure is right most of the time," Warrick reminded his companions.

"So how did you guys meet?" Sarah asked from the back seat of Nick's Denali, suddenly looking panicked a second or two after finishing her question.

Nick smiled back at Sarah, noticing that she had shifted uncomfortably after asking the question. "Yeah, Sar, that did sound like something you ask a couple," he said, blushing, but trying to see how Briana would respond to the idea of them being a couple. He couldn't believe that he was already trying to test the water with her, they had just met and he was already imagining what they could have together. No matter how much his thoughts scared him, he couldn't get rid of them. She gave a slight laugh, her face turning pink.

"I was in the airport waiting for my flight here when I met everyone," Briana said softly, turning to look at Sarah and Grissom. "Since then they've all been stalking me," she laughed. Sarah went wide eyed, as did Grissom at the joking accusation. "By stalking I mean questioning me about a crime outside of my apartment building as well as asking me to breakfast," she said, blushing a little darker. "Sorry, I forgot that you guys are all in law enforcement and don't take things like that as jokes." She turned around, suddenly uncomfortable.

Nick looked over, a small smile on his face. "I knew it was a joke, pretty good one, actually," he whispered to her. Nick looked in his rearview mirror and noticed both Sarah and Grissom staring at him and Briana. He wasn't sure about Sarah's intentions, but he knew that Grissom was analyzing the situation, Briana, himself and his actions, and it made him slightly uncomfortable, he could only imagine how uncomfortable Briana was, she seemed to have noticed that Grissom had said less than twenty words since she had entered the car.

"Well, we're almost there," Nick sighed loudly, welcoming the sight of the familiar sign on the side of the road. Only a block or so more and they would be reunited with the rest of the group, which would make it much easier for Nick to be himself and forget about Grissom's analyzing stares. 'Why did I agree to take him and Sarah instead of Greg?' Nick thought to himself as he was stopped at what he would swear was the longest red light in Vegas history.

A/N: I hope that made sense. Eek! I'm kind of having writer's block, so please forgive me and don't be afraid to tell me that something was bad or didn't make sense! All reviews are welcome! Thanks for reading! Please Review!


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